Self Sufficiency

People mention "Algarve - Portugal" and immediately, expensive villas spring to mind, yes we have them, but there are very affordable alternatives, and in an area originally started off by the Romans.

The Romans needed to feed their troops, and soon discovered the Serra De Monchique, a micro climate within the Algarve. With fertile soils, an abundance of water and loads of sunshine made it an ideal place to start food production . So they cultivated the land and built stone terraces which still stand to this day. If you look at the many photographs on this site you will see the terraces. Our climate is typically Mediterranean, yet we enjoy a better rainfall than the rest of the Algarve and Southern Spain. We grow anything, from sweet chestnuts and cherries to oranges and peaches, sweet potatoes to whatever you can think of, the list is endless, one day I will compile one. We are one of the best bee keeping areas in Southern Europe, and the honey.....mmmm. We are also virtually frost free, hence the abundance of citrus!
"Organic" is a word the locals don't understand, because here everything "is" Organic, they don't know anything different.

Goats, pigs, sheep and horses are at home here in the hills making it ideal for the small holder and self sufficient lifestyle.Nature abounds including a few wild boar thrown in for good measure. Free water from ancient water mines abound, wind on the higher ground and over 300 days of sunshine per year, will generate all your power needs to keep your bills to an absolute minimum. Talking of which the annual rates on a typical property are only in the region of 50-100 Euros per year!